


Little Wonders

by perfect_cecilos



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Angst, Cecil is Human, Drinking, Eventual violence, Fluff, M/M, Post-Episode: e049 Old Oak Doors, some smut scattered throughout, with moving tattoos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-02
Updated: 2015-02-06
Packaged: 2018-02-27 23:05:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2709989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perfect_cecilos/pseuds/perfect_cecilos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After far too long of being trapped in the Otherworld Desert, Carlos finally finds his way home.</p><p>But he wasn't the only one trapped in the desert. And he won't be the only one to find his way out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Twenty-One Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been almost a month since Cecil has heard anything from Carlos, and even with the help of his fellow citizens, he is having some troubles coping with his boyfriend's possibly permanent disappearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of my very long, in progress fic! I hope you enjoy the ride.

“It has been almost a month since I have heard from him.” The radio host looked down at his phone for the hundredth time during the broadcast, desperately hoping for _something. Anything._ “But I cannot worry.” It was a lie. Cecil Palmer was worried beyond words. “After all, listeners, you know as well as I that a scientist is _always_ fine.” His grey eyes darted down to his boyfriend’s contact information. Twenty-one days since the last text.

He let out a long sigh. “Stay tuned next for four hours of silence interrupted by occasional sobbing.” He knew what he wouldn’t be listening to for the next four hours. “And, as always, good night, Night Vale. Good night.” He turned off his mic with a hitch in his voice. He hadn’t had a good night in months.

Cecil took off his headphones and texted his boyfriend, just like he did every night after his show. His texts used to always be long and wordy before Carlos stopped responding. Now, for the past several days, they were all the same: ‘Are you okay?’

He stuffed his phone into his pocket and walked out of the radio station, nodding at an intern as he walked past. He got to his car and drove home in silence, but made sure he still obeyed all the local traffic laws. He didn’t need the Sheriff’s Secret Police coming after him.

The last time Cecil had heard from Carlos, the scientist had been going on about how the Masked Warrior, Doug, had ‘found something’.

“Cecil, Doug says he found something!” Carlos had said with excitement in his caramel voice.

“A door?” Cecil’s heart still leapt when he remembered the conversation. “Carlos, are you coming home?”

“I don’t know, but it seems promising. I’m going to go check it out. I’ll talk to you later, Cecil.” There was a short pause, and Cecil could almost hear his boyfriend’s loving smile. Even after months of being apart, they still knew each other well enough to hear a smile. “I love you, Ceec.”

“I love you, too,” Cecil responded, holding tight to every syllable that came out of Carlos’ mouth. They hung up their phones together.

Cecil had not heard from the scientist since then, and it was starting to get to him. The fact that Carlos was trapped in a desert didn’t bother him as much anymore--he had grown used to it after many long, long months of being separated--but it was the lack of any kind of contact that set Cecil on edge.

Even his listeners had started to take notice of Cecil’s current state.

John Peters, you know, the farmer, had come out to Cecil’s house on several occasions ‘to get a cup of sugar’. Cecil knew quite well that he could have easily gone to a closer neighbor’s home for sugar, but he had to admit that the company was nice. Other visitors included Larry Leroy, out on the edge of town, Old Woman Josie, and even Mayor Cardinal. No one ever mentioned the real reason why they wanted to talk to Cecil, but he knew.

After all, when a town’s radio host is sad, it becomes easy for the whole town to fall into the same gaping maw of sadness. The Sheriff’s Secret Police could not have any of that.

When Cecil got home, he opened the door and muttered, “I’m home, Carlos,” under his breath, just like he always did. He still had a glimmer of hope that, someday, he would get a response. That he would feel the warmth of his boyfriend’s arms around him once again. That the man’s scent, a beautiful mix of oak and lavender, would return to the home someday soon. Even Carlos’ pillows didn’t smell like him anymore. They had spent more time apart than they had living together. The realization often hit Cecil across the face like a dead armadillo falling from the Glow Cloud.

Cecil took off his vest and walked into the kitchen. Opening a cupboard, he mumbled, “Just one drink can’t hurt tonight.” He tried so hard to keep his drinking at bay while Carlos was gone, but some days were harder than others. Going three weeks without talking to his boyfriend made things even more difficult. He opened a bottle of rum and was about to take a swig straight from the bottle when he heard a knock at his door.

“I hope you’re not drinking, Cecil!” came a deep and rasping voice from outside.

 _No. Anyone_ but him. “Go away, _Steve Carlsberg_ ,” was Cecil’s only response to his brother-in-law. He didn’t want to talk to him, not unless--

“Come on, Uncle Cecil! Let us in!” Cecil’s expression softened upon hearing his niece’s voice. He could never say no to her. He was a doting uncle, after all.

Putting down his bottle of rum, Cecil opened the front door and got down on his knees to give Janice a warm embrace. “How’s my favorite niece doing?” He got behind her and helped get her wheelchair up over the step on his porch.

“She heard your show today.” There was obvious concern in Steve’s voice. No, not the usual ‘I can’t believe my step-daughter believes you’ concern, but an actual real concern for Cecil’s well-being. “We’d have made scones if we had time.”

Cecil gritted his teeth.

“I want Uncle Carlos to come home, too,” Janice said softly, and Cecil felt his voice catch. “Do you think he’ll come home soon?”

The radio host hesitated. He did not want to lie to Janice, but what could he possibly say? Even he didn’t know what the truth was. He didn’t know if Carlos would be home soon or not. He still had no idea if Carlos was even okay at this point. “I-I hope so,” he finally croaked. “I really hope so. We have a lot of missed dates to make up for once he gets back!” he added with a halfhearted laugh.

“If it makes you feel any better, Cecil, the lines in the sky have changed.”

Cecil rolled his eyes. Not the lines and arrows again. “Steve, everyone knows those lines are nons--”

“They look just like they did when Carlos was here. When he got stuck in the desert, they changed drastically. And then they went back to normal a few days after your last call from Carlos. I don’t know what they mean, Cecil, but I know that I can see them. I can see the lights.”

Cecil opened his eyes wide and his tattoos made several jerky movements across his arms. Could Steve’s stupid theories actually mean something? He made a mental note to rant about Steve on air again--if he really was onto something, he couldn’t have the Secret Police coming after him and Janice. “You think my Carlos has found a way home?” He couldn’t hide the hope in his voice.

Steve shrugged. “It’s a possibility. Only I would think that he would have found you by now. Or called.”

“Don’t you dare suggest that my boyfriend wouldn’t try to call me the second he got back to Night Vale. Obviously there’s a reason why he hasn’t called me in twenty one days…” His voice trailed off and he closed his eyes. He felt a gentle hand tracing one of the deep purple tattoos on his forearm.

“I still have lots of Girl Scout cookies for him when he gets home, just like I promised,” Janice smiled up at him, her hazel eyes sparkling. Cecil smiled back. Janice wanted the scientist back home as much as he did. He knew Carlos missed the young Girl Scout, too.

“I’m sure he will love that,” Cecil said before changing the subject. “Do… do you want to eat anything? I have wheat-free bread and peanut butter, I think…”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “How much real food do you have, Cecil?”

“Nobody asked you, _Steve_ ,” he snapped. Okay, so Cecil didn’t actually hate Steve like he pretended to on air. It was all just a big charade to make sure the Sheriff’s Secret Police just thought the man was crazy. But even then, he was getting tired of Steve’s comments. “I have enough to get by, just like always.” His current food supply wasn’t much different from what it was before he started living with Carlos. Carlos was the cook, not him.

“You know Janice and I can always make dinners for you. And your friend Earl is a chef, isn’t he? He could teach you some easy recipes until Carlos gets back home.” He gestured to Cecil’s body. “You’re getting thin again.” Cecil had always been a pretty average weight, but Carlos had helped him gain a few pounds with his restaurant-worthy pastas (made with wheat-free noodles, of course).

“Come on, Uncle Cecil. Let’s have pancakes!” She went to Cecil’s kitchen with a huge smile on her face. She had a Palmer smile, that was for sure.

“That sounds pretty good.” Cecil followed her and helped her get the ingredients she wanted. He was actually smiling until he reached up on top of the pantry to get a skillet. When he grabbed it, the skillet knocked an unseen glass beaker onto the floor, and the beaker shattered. “Carlos, you need to stop leaving beakers…” He stopped talking and his lip trembled. He got down from the stool he was standing on and fell to his knees. _Not again._ Why did he have to keep talking as if Carlos was home? He was gone. “Carlos…” He picked up a piece of broken glass and clenched his fist around it as he tried not to cry in front of his niece. Blood dripped from his hand and he felt a hand at his back.

“Cecil. Please put the glass down. You’re going to get yourself hurt even more.” Steve tapped the back of Cecil’s hand until he dropped the bloodied piece of glass. “You go clean your hand. Let me clean this up.” He helped his brother-in-law (step brother? Even Cecil had no idea what to call Steve. Their family relation was weird.) stand.

Cecil held out his cut palm and walked into the bathroom. He felt as if he had broken his soul when he dropped the beaker. He had been doing so well with Carlos gone. He was actually talking to his friends and having some fun, even with Carlos trapped in the desert. They could still talk, so it was okay. But now Carlos had… disappeared. While washing the blood from his hand, he muttered, “I’m sorry, Carlos…” He wrapped up his hand in a cloth, knowing the bleeding would stop soon, and checked his phone. Just a message from Dana asking when he’d be at the station the next day. 

He pulled up the number pad and called Carlos, just like he did every night, hoping and praying to whatever entity might be out there that his boyfriend would pick up the phone. Straight to voicemail, just like the last few days. “What the hell happened to you, Carlos…” he muttered. “Please come back to me.” He hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket after responding to Dana’s text.

It was going to be another long night, but at least he would get to spend part of it eating pancakes with Janice. Definitely a million times better than drinking.


	2. What's in the Box?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cecil gets a happy surprise in his studio while he's still on the air.

“Listeners, there’s a knocking coming from my studio window.” Cecil stood and walked towards the small window, making sure the wire on his headset didn’t get caught on anything. “I’m looking outside, but I don’t see anything. Well, Mayor Cardinal is waving at me, but that’s nothing different.” He smiled and waved back. He had grown used to the former intern visiting him ever since Carlos disappeared. “I doubt it is anything to worry about.”

The radio host sat back at his desk. “I could have sworn the door opened as well, but nothing seems out of the ordinary except for this--” he stopped and raised an eyebrow. “Was that here before…?” he muttered into his mic. “Dear listeners, there is a small dark box on my desk. Management must have brought it in while I was distracted by the window.” He touched the velvety surface of the box. “I wonder what is inside? Today’s date is not anything special, so it couldn’t be a gift. Perhaps a bomb? It’s always safe to assume everything is a bomb. Or perhaps it is some kind of warning from the Sheriff’s Secret Police?” He was just about to pick it up when he heard a knock on the studio door.

“Listeners, someone is at my door. Please forgive me while I let our guest inside the studio.” Even when he was on air, it was in poor taste to just let a visitor wait. He kept his mic on but took his headset off as he stood and opened the door.

He let out a loud gasp that the entire town could hear on their radios. It couldn’t be. He would never be that lucky. But perhaps his eyes were just lying to him. They did that a lot. And he was sure they were until he felt the warm, familiar embrace of his lost boyfriend. No, not lost anymore. Home.

“Carlos…?” his voice cracked. “Are you really here?”

Carlos, considerably more rugged and dirty than he was before getting lost behind the old oak doors, nodded and held Cecil closer against him. “I’m _home_ , Ceec.”

Cecil was only just barely able to squeak out a, “And now a word from our sponsors,” before wrapping his arms around his scientist and crying into his neck. “I thought I lost you, my Carlos…” He put a hand in his boyfriend’s dirty hair. It was greasy and dusty and matted, but he didn’t care. He was just grateful to be able to touch that perfect hair again.

“To be honest, I was scared I would never end up finding a door back into Night Vale.” He put a hand under Cecil’s pointed chin and gave the radio host a gentle kiss on his trembling lips. “It’s been far too many months, but I finally found a way home. A way back to you.” He ran a hand through Cecil’s two-toned hair, but Cecil backed away.

“Why didn’t you call me the moment you came home? I haven’t heard a word from you in a month!” He did not attempt to hide the hurt in his voice. “I thought… I thought maybe you had given up. That you didn’t want to come home anymore.” He looked down at his sound board. One minute left of the sponsored ad.

Carlos touched Cecil’s cheek with a dirty hand. “I wanted to call you, I really did. It was my first thought when I walked through the door. But when I took out my phone… it was dead. In the other world desert, my battery lasted forever, but here it died. I can only assume that the battery took into account the fact that it was used for around a year without losing any power, and since that is scientifically impossible, it made up for the anomaly when I walked through the door.” It was obvious he was telling the truth; Cecil could see it in Carlos’ chocolate eyes.

“I should have known… I’m so sorry, Carlos… I-I didn’t mean to lose faith in you… it’s just…” He bit his lip. Why did he have to snap at his boyfriend--and when they were reunited, too?

Carlos gripped the radio host’s hand. “Cecil. Stop. I understand. I’d have been worried, too. Worry causes some pretty strong emotions. Scientifically speaking, of course.” Carlos looked at the sound board and smiled. “You’re back on air, babe.”

“Oh, god.” Cecil sat back in his chair. “I apologize, listeners. I’m just a little… distracted. Carlos is home!” His voice cracked. “He’s home… You know, we have so many missed dates to catch up on.” He grinned.

Carlos grinned back. Of course they had a little more than just dates in mind. “After I get a shower, of course. I smell terrible,” he laughed.

“Now, Carlos, do you mind if I ask you a question on air?” He stood up.

“Go ahead.” The scientist sat down and pulled Cecil onto his lap. “What would you like to know?”

“We haven’t had any contact for twenty-two days. Your phone died when you went through the door, I know, but what happened in between them and you getting to my studio?”

“Well… when I came through the door, I didn’t actually end up in Night Vale. I wasn’t in the other world desert anymore, but I still wasn’t home, either. And since my phone was dead, I couldn’t exactly pull up a GPS or anything. And I know this is going to sound cheesy and pretty non-scientific,” he wrapped his arms around Cecil’s waist, “but I just walked where I thought my heart wanted me to go. I followed my heart.” He gave Cecil a light kiss on his neck. “And before I knew it, I could finally see Night Vale again! I saw those lights, you know, the glowing ones above the Arby’s, from miles away. They looked a lot closer than they actually were, but they gave me hope.”

“How did you have enough food and water for such a long walk?”

“Oh, Doug gave me a backpack and a ton of food and water to put inside of it before I left. So I was able to ration out my food until yesterday.” His stomach rumbled. “Oh, that’s right--can we get something to eat tonight? I’m starving and I could really go for some Big Rico’s Pizza or Arby’s… or anything, really.”

“Of course we can.” Cecil touched Carlos’ beard. He looked so… different with a beard. It wasn’t a bad different by any means, just different. His hair was pulled back into a low, short ponytail, too. “And how did you get enough to drink?”

“Scientifically speaking, I would have died of dehydration before getting here.” Cecil’s heart skipped a beat. Thank the heavens Carlos was still alive. “But I kept finding clear puddles of water along the way.”

“Someone--not an angel, of course, that would be ridiculous--must have been looking out for you. Someone wanted to make sure you’d get home in one piece. Night Vale really does need you.”

“And whoever it was, I am so grateful. While the doors might not have believed it, I know in my heart that I belong in Night Vale. I belong with you, Cecil. I want to be with you for the rest of my life, and for whatever happens after.” He took the small black box that was on Cecil’s desk.

Cecil opened his eyes wide. Did Carlos bring the box in while he was distracted by the window? He stood up and leaned against his desk. “Carlos…?”

Carlos got out of the chair and got down on one knee in front of Cecil. Cecil’s heart fluttered so hard that he was afraid it would jump out of his chest. “Cecil Gershwin Palmer,” he opened the box to reveal a platinum ring with a strip of purple running across the band, “can we be together forever? Will you marry me?”

Cecil couldn’t help but make all sorts of squeaking noises as he tried to form coherent sentences. Not only was Carlos home, but now he was asking him to marry him! Could his day get any better? He pushed Carlos to the ground and buried his face into his shoulder. He couldn’t hold back a thousand happy tears as he squeaked out a “yes” so quiet that only Carlos could hear him.

“He said yes, listeners!” Carlos said up to the mic on Cecil’s soundboard. Cecil hoped everyone could hear his boyfriend--no, his fiancé. This was something he wanted the whole town to know about. They’d all be invited to the wedding, after all.

Cecil sat back up and helped the scientist up before kissing him several times. “You know I will,” he said between kisses. “Now, I hope you don’t mind if we cut to the weather.” The second he said it, music filled the studio. He thought the weather was appropriate--happy, upbeat, about love, and forecasting sunny weather with little chance of destruction. He had had enough of sad weather segments, so this was a welcome change.

“You know, I was actually planning on proposing to you a year ago…” he put the ring on Cecil’s finger, “after I got back from the house that doesn’t exist. The ring was in my pocket and everything, but then Strex took my scientists and I couldn’t get back through the door.”

Cecil’s eyes glassed over. “You’ve kept the ring with you for that long?”

Carlos nodded. “When I was trapped in the desert, I sometimes forgot to focus on finding a door.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “But then I would look at this box and the engagement ring, and I remembered why I needed to keep looking. You kept me grounded, Ceec. Without your calls, without your texts, without your snaps… without this ring, I don’t know if I’d be home right now. I love you so much… but a scientist is easily distracted.” He sighed and looked at Cecil’s hand. “You look good with an engagement ring, you know.”

Cecil examined the ring. He always dreamed of getting married, but often questioned if it would ever actually happen. “When should the wedding be?”

Carlos laughed, a sound that made Cecil feel as if he were on top of the world. “I only just proposed, Ceec. I didn’t exactly have any dates planned. Does Night Vale have any weird marriage rituals I should know about?”

“Well, we need to fill out the proper paperwork, one of us can take the other’s last name, the whole town is invited, and, as always, there’s a variety of food. Anyone against our union will ‘accidentally’ be given poisonous treats. The Sheriff’s Secret Police will lift bans on wheat and wheat-by-products too during weddings as long as we stay careful!”

“I’m surprised. I thought it would be a whole lot different.” He shrugged. “Oh… and with the name, I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if I took your last name. I just… I just really like how ‘Carlos Palmer’ sounds. It’s got a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

“Not to mention ‘Cecil the Scientist’ doesn’t exactly coincide with my line of work.”

“Cecil, we’ve talked about this,” he smiled.

Cecil laughed. He knew Carlos had a real last name, but he was pretty sure the scientist had forgotten it the first time he came to Night Vale. Oh, well. He didn’t have to know _everything_ about Carlos, just like Carlos still didn’t know everything about him. He hugged his fiancé. “Carlos Palmer sounds perfect. Perfect like your hair and your teeth and everything else about you.”

“But I thought I was imperfect?” He smiled with his military cemetery teeth.

“Imperfectly _perfect_.” He kissed him and softly scraped his teeth on Carlos’ chapped lower lip. He wished desperately that his show was over. He just wanted to go home with Carlos. We was ready to be done with his radio duties for the day. Ready to have the scientist all to himself. He reached up to put his arms around Carlos’ neck, but his fiancé stopped him.

“What did you do to your hand, Cecil?” Carlos examined the cuts on Cecil’s palm from the broken beaker the night before. They were almost healed due to Cecil’s superhuman healing abilities--he still didn’t know how he was able to do that--but they definitely stood out quite a bit.

Cecil turned his eyes to the ground. “I was getting a skillet down last night to make pancakes with Janice… and it knocked down one of your beakers. It shattered… Janice had to see her uncle break down… Steve had to help me.”

“Oh…” Carlos said with an apologetic glance. “I forgot I put one up there…” He put his hand on Cecil’s lower back. “How about we organize my stuff a little when we get home?”

Cecil took off his glasses to wipe them on his tie. Of course the one time Carlos would want to clean would be after he’d been stuck in a desert for months. “I kind of had other things in mind for tonight.” He didn’t even try to hide the suggestive undertones in his voice.

“Of course. It’s been way too long. But I’m going to get myself cleaned up first. I don’t think you want this in bed with you!” He smirked and kissed Cecil’s neck, his beard making Cecil laugh. “You’re too cute. I love how ticklish you are. You wanna help me shave this damn beard off? And I know you have something against me cutting my hair, but I’d like to get my hair cut, too.”

“Anything, Carlos.” He could see the shock in Carlos’ wide eyes. “We could shave your head off for all I care right now…” He tried to hold back more tears. “I’m just glad you’re home.” He cleared his throat as the weather ended.

“Welcome back, listeners! So, as my Carlos said before we cut to the weather, I said yes to his proposal! We don’t have a date set for the wedding yet, but you are all invited! Please keep ears and eyes open for wedding invitations indication the time, place, and gift ideas. As we all know, invitations are usually groups of spiders that have organized themselves into words, although most scientists suggest that spiders do not form these kinds of groups in the wild. Morse code has also been used for invitations for citizens that are blind or otherwise unable to see spiders. The Sheriff’s Secret Police will make sure everyone is in attendance!” 

“We’re both so excited. Oh!” Carlos opened his eyes wide with a sudden realization. “I’m sorry, I forgot my manners, didn’t I? So let me just say hello again, Night Vale! I’m so glad to be back home. I can’t wait to talk to you all again.” It was in poor taste not to say hello after being gone for months. Cecil felt a sense of pride that Carlos remembered without any help. A true Night Vale citizen!

“Janice still has all those promised Girl Scout cookies for you. She’ll be so excited to see you. And now she gets another totally cool and doting uncle!” He tugged on Carlos’ lab coat. The thing was torn and so dirty that it probably wasn’t salvageable. Luckily he had about a dozen more that Cecil hid in the far corners of their closet at home. “Hey, is your family going to come?”

Carlos closed his eyes and sighed. “I doubt it. Time works so differently here, and it’s almost impossible to get here. Even I don’t exactly know how I got to Night Vale in the first place. Plus I haven’t talked to any of them in almost a year, which could be quite a long time for them. They might not even know I’m still here.”

“Well, the University of What It Is remembered you. They called me while you were in the desert. They said you’d been gone for decades.” Cecil had never brought up the University to Carlos. He still had so many questions about it.

“The University?” He shook his head. “I quit my job there. It was just some paid internship for graduate students. But decades? I’ve only been here for three years. I need to do more experiments with time here in Night Vale.”

“After the wedding,” Cecil cut in.

“Right. No experimenting until after the wedding. Not until we’re caught up with our dates.” Cecil doubted the scientist would keep his promise and stay out of his lab, but, hey, at least he was willing to try! If only he could return the favor and take off radio duties for a few days. Too bad he didn’t have anyone to cover for him.

“Well, listeners, I know I’m supposed to keep my show going for another three minutes, but to be quite honest, our news stories are all over, and I’m just really excited to go home with my Carlos for the first time in months. We have some… plans.” Okay, there was no way the entire town wouldn’t get what he was suggesting.

“Gershwin…” Carlos complained, his face flushing deep red.

“Anyways, stay tuned next for the sound of applause accompanied by two hours of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. And, with a happy heart, I say good night, Night Vale. Good night.” He shut off his mic. “Ready to go home, Carlos?”

“More ready than I’ve ever been.” He held Cecil’s hand and walked out of the station and to Cecil’s car.

When they were both in the car and Cecil started driving to Arby’s, he asked, “Did you talk to Dana? Did you bring the box into my studio when she distracted me?”

Carlos nodded. “I would have talked to you first, but I really wanted to propose to you like that. I know how much you like surprises in your studio.” He reclined back in the passenger seat. “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course, Carlos.”

“I’m sorry if I made you upset every time I talked about the science in the desert world. It really wasn’t that interesting… I just pretended it was. Sure, it was fascinating, but nothing like Night Vale. But I would have rather had you think I was distracted by the other world than realize how distraught I was. I couldn’t find anything, Cecil, not for months. I was despairing that I might never find a way home before you gave up on me.”

“I would never give up on you. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love you.” He pulled into the Arby’s parking lot, and Carlos gasped.

“What happened to the Arby’s? It looks… newer.”

“Strex Corp took the first one down and built a new one exactly like the old one.” He drove through the drive thru and ordered three combo meals--he figured Carlos was pretty hungry.

“Of course they took it down… We have such good memories of this parking lot…”

“The day you finally returned my feelings for you.” Cecil gave a huge smile and paid for the food.

“The day I was finally brave enough to. Hell, you know I liked you long before we started dating. You just have so much influence on this town that it made it a little intimidating to talk to you. I fell in love with your voice when I first came to town, even if I was a little weirded out at first by you gushing over me.” He laughed.

“And I know you love my voice, you kinky scientist,” he grinned.

“Oh, you’re calling me kinky, Cecil? What about your collection of collars? Hm, my little pet?” he asked with a smirk, using one of Cecil’s favorite pet names.

“Caaarlooos!” Cecil whined. “At least wait until we get home.” He took the food from the window and started driving home. “You can start eating.”

“You’re going to let me eat in your car?” There was shock in Carlos’ voice and his eyes were wide.

“You need food, my Carlos! My car can be cleaned.” He really didn’t want crumbs in his car, but this was one exception. He wasn’t going to fight about petty things with his boyf--fiancé. He still had to get used to his new relationship status. He was past the dating stage now.

Carlos took several hungry bites of his food. “Oh my god it’s been way too long since I’ve had real food. Oh god this is amazing.”

The corners of Cecil’s mouth lifted into a smirk, and Carlos looked at him with crumbs in his beard and a mouthful of food. “What is it, Cecil?”

“Hope I can get you to say those things tonight.”

“Babe, as much as I love your voice, phone sex in no way compares to the real thing.” He took a big swig of soda and lifted his cup. “Here’s hoping our neighbors are heavy sleepers.”

“I’ve been waiting for this, you know. You’ve been gone too long. Far too long. I’m just grateful you had your phone. And that it worked the whole time.”

“I am sad I missed our anniversary, though. I had some pretty big plans. Guess I’ll have to save those for our wedding night instead.” He reached over and tickled Cecil’s ribcage when he was at a stop light, sending the radio host into a fit of giggles. “God I love your laugh. I really missed being able to actually make physical contact with you.”

“Me too.” Cecil pulled the car into the driveway. “I’ll let you finish eating and then you can get cleaned up.” He opened the car door for him and then let him walk inside the house first.

Carlos took the bag of Arby’s inside onto the kitchen table and ate a second of the three meals Cecil bought. “Have the last one, Ceec. I’ll get sick if I eat too much.”

“Alright, after I help you with your hair. Then I’ll eat and you can shower.”

“Sounds like an excellent plan to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a ton of fun writing this one. It's everything I want to happen during a real WTNV episode. (Although, let's be honest--I think it's something we all want from an episode)


	3. First Night Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Carlos gets cleaned up, he and Cecil decide to have a little fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty much just porn. Yep. No parts that are extremely important to plot, so feel free to skip right on to the next chapter if you don't want to read smut.  
> Also I've never written any sort of smut before so here goes nothing.

After Carlos’ hair was back to a manageable length and his beard was gone, he jumped into the shower while Cecil went to finish his dinner with an ear-to-ear smile on his freckled face.

“Hey, um, Faceless Old Woman?” he said out loud. He couldn’t see her, but he knew she could see and hear him. He figured it would only be polite to give her a little advance notice. “Since Carlos just got home after months of being gone, we’d appreciate just a little privacy tonight. Feel free to surf the internet or watch some Netflix instead.” The Faceless Old Woman was prone to searching some pretty weird stuff--the origins of mountains and angels? Really? She knew those weren’t real!--but it was better than having her watch him and Carlos. He saw a post-it note on the fridge.

“Thank you for the heads-up, Cecil,” it read. “Sincerest congratulations on the engagement, too. That’s a very nice ring. -FOW.”

“Oh, thank you.” Cecil walked to his and Carlos’ room and rummaged around in their closet until he found the box of candles he was looking for. He carefully spread them out all over the room and lit them until the whole room was glowing with faint candlelight. He wanted to make the night as romantic as possible, and luckily the candles would burn out on their own so they wouldn’t have to worry about blowing them all out later.

Once all the candles were burning, he looked around for one of his favorite outfits--a purple and black corset with a matching collar and panties. Ohh, he was getting giddy already. It had been ages since he wore that outfit. He was so ready to have Carlos all to himself again. He got changed and waited a few minutes to walk into the bathroom where Carlos was still showering.

Sitting on the sink, he asked, “Feeling better, my Carlos?”

“ _Loads_ better. You never realize how much you love being clean until you’re forced to bathe in pools of rainwater for months.”

“Mm, I bet.” He waited patiently for Carlos to pull back the shower curtains and look at him.

“You wanna join me, babe?”

“I would, but I don’t want to get this collar wet.” He pulled on one of the rings with a grin when Carlos opened the curtains.

“Holy shit, Ceec, you got your collar on?” Cecil gave him his glasses so he could see better, and he gave a crooked grin when he got a good look at Cecil. “You know that’s my favorite outfit on you.” He wrapped two of his fingers around a ring on the collar and pulled Cecil forward to kiss him, making sure not to get Cecil’s outfit wet. “Just give me a few more minutes and I’ll be done.” He took off his glasses and let Cecil put them back on the sink.

Carlos didn’t close the shower curtain, and Cecil was happy about that. He sat back against the sink and watched his fiancé’s beautiful body as he washed the dirt and grime off. Cecil couldn’t help but smile and give a happy sigh. “You’re beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you are, Ceec.” He washed the shampoo out of his hair and turned off the water. “I hope the Faceless Old Woman doesn’t mind us tonight.”

“I already told her.” He wrapped his arms around Carlos’ neck when he stepped out of the shower. “She said congrats on the engagement.” He buried his face in his shoulder and inhaled deeply. He missed that smell. 

Carlos cupped Cecil’s face in his hand and started to kiss him deeply. Cecil almost forgot to breathe at the sensation that he had not had for months. He felt Carlos’ perfect teeth scraping on his lips and the scientist’s hands move to the small of his back, pulling him closer. Cecil ran one hand up and down Carlos’ naked back and ran the other through his wet hair. Carlos lifted his thigh in between Cecil’s legs, letting him grind against him.

A low moan escaped Cecil’s mouth. “Let’s go back to the bedroom, my Carlos,” he said into Carlos’ mouth. “Please,” he begged, and let out a gasp when Carlos picked him up and carried him to their room.

He tossed Cecil onto the bed and started kissing the radio host’s neck after putting his glasses on the nightstand. Cecil wrapped his arms around Carlos’ torso and held him close. “It’s almost a shame that I don’t get the joy of taking your clothes off, Car,” Cecil said with a moan. The sensation of Carlos kissing and sucking on his neck was making him hard. _God, just take my clothes off and fuck me already!_ he shouted in his mind. He was ready to feel Carlos inside of him for the first time in what felt like years, but he knew Carlos too well. He usually teased the hell out of him before actually getting to any sort of fucking.

“Mmm, but at least I get to take yours off.” He tugged on his fiancé’s collar. “Except for this. You can keep this on.” He grinned and started to pull Cecil’s panties down around his ankles and then slowly untied the laces on his corset. 

Biting his lip and failing to suppress a moan, Cecil looked down at Carlos’ cock and grinned. The scientist was as hard as he was. “What are you going to do with me, my Carlos?”

Carlos started kissing slowly down his chest, taking extra time to trace each and every one of his rippling tattoos with his lips. “Not nearly as much as I’d like to.” He kissed Cecil’s stomach and squished the fat around his naval, making Cecil give an odd half-laugh, half-moan. “God, you’re too cute, Ceec.”

Cecil closed his eyes as the scientist kept kissing down his body. His heart skipped a beat when Carlos got close to his cock, but then he gave a whine when he skipped straight to his thighs instead. “Caaarlooos!” He bit his lip.

“You’re so impatient, my pet,” Carlos grinned, his bedroom voice so seductive and different from his normal everyday voice that Cecil found himself even more desperate. Cecil didn’t have a voice kink like Carlos did, but it was times like this that made Cecil realize how Carlos could get off by the sound of his voice alone. 

“You keep calling me that and I might just finish before you even get the chance to fuck me.” He squirmed a little when he felt Carlos’ fingers around his cock.

“Still keep the lube in the nightstand, pet?”

Cecil nodded, unable to speak in coherent words and phrases. He reached his arm back and pulled out a bottle of lube from the nightstand. Carlos took the bottle and Cecil arched his back in pleasure as he felt him rub the cool liquid around his member. He closed his eyes and let himself focus on the sensation as several low moans escaped his mouth. _Oh god_ was Carlos blowing him now? “Carlooos!” He gripped the bed sheets and bucked his hips with Carlos’ head. There was no way he’d be able to last much longer. The wave of pleasure rushed over him like a rainstorm in a desert, and he shouted his fiancé’s name so loud that he would be surprised if their neighbors didn’t hear.

Carlos swallowed and kissed his way back up Cecil’s body, ending on his trembling lips. “You came pretty quick.” He tugged on Cecil’s collar.

A tired grin spread across his face as he felt the collar rub against his neck. “You’ve been gone for what felt like forever. What did you expect?” he said breathlessly. He wrapped his arms around his fiancé and ran his fingers through his damp hair. “Now it’s your turn to finish.” He didn’t want to let go of Carlos. He wanted to stay like this with him forever. Never let him out of his sight again. Know that Carlos would never get trapped in a different dimension ever again. He kissed Carlos’ jaw and loosened his grip around him just enough to allow the scientist to reach for a condom from the night stand.

“So,” Carlos rolled on the condom and rubbed lube onto his cock, “you wanna ride me or just stay here?”

Cecil pulled him back down on top of him, giving his answer. He was a little tired to ride, and he loved the closeness he was able to achieve with Carlos in this position.  
With an effortless and familiar motion, Carlos moved his body just slightly, and Cecil felt his scientist thrust slowly inside of him. The radio host was already half hard again and he felt his breathing catch as he dug his fingers into Carlos’ back. Cecil wrapped his legs around his fiancé’s hips, and in an instant, the world seemed to stop moving around them as they moved together as one perfect being. One imperfect entity. Neither of them spoke a word, but their whines and moans drowned out even the sound of the bed creaking.

While Carlos was normally quite vocal in bed, much like Cecil, he often came quietly. This time, however, was… much different. Carlos came with a dozen shouts of Cecil’s name, and Cecil came again at the same time all over his and Carlos’ stomachs. His legs shook and he bit gently on Carlos’ shoulder.

“God, Carlos,” he gasped. “That was… that was…” He was at a loss for words.

“Perfect?” Carlos tried with a grin, his chest heaving.

“Better than perfect.” Cecil kissed him deeply and tugged gently on his hair. “Promise me you’ll never disappear again.” He closed his eyes.

Carlos rolled over next to him and pulled his face into his chest. “I never want to disappear ever again. I never realized how much I loved your touch until it was gone.”

“And now we can be together for the rest of our lives.” He twirled the engagement ring around his finger. “We should clean up before we fall asleep…” he added as an afterthought. His legs were still trembling, but he stood up to get a towel and cleaned off his own stomach and then helped Carlos clean his. After disposing of the used condom, he laid back down next to Carlos and buried his face into his chest, absorbing the man’s comforting warmth. 

“I love you so much,” Carlos mumbled as he kissed the top of Cecil’s head.

“I love you, too.” He pulled the blanket over them. “Good night, my Carlos.” He lazily traced patterns along Carlos’ back until he fell asleep to the rise and fall of his fiancé’s chest. For the first time in what felt like years, his dreams weren’t haunted by flickering shadows of destruction or bad omens.


	4. The Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cecil and Carlos don't waste any time and hold their wedding just a week after Carlos had proposed. Everything is simply perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't write weddings. But here you go, some Cecilos fluff!

He retied his tie for the sixth time. “Are you _sure_ it looks okay? I have to make sure everything is perfect!” He straightened his vest.

“Cecil,” Dana pushed Cecil’s hands away from his vest, “you look fine. You’re quite dashing in that tuxedo, to be quite honest. Carlos will love it. Are you sure you don’t want to uncover a mirror? You’re not recording right now, so I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

Cecil felt his whole body tense. Uncover a mirror? Was the mayor crazy? But… it was his wedding day, and he had to make sure he looked perfect for his soon-to-be-husband. A quick look wouldn’t hurt. “…Just really quick.”

Dana uncovered a large mirror and let Cecil look at himself for a moment. It made him feel much better about the way his deep black tuxedo looked with the satiny purple vest and tie. His tattoos vibrated up and down his arms and his neck, echoing the excitement and nervousness he felt in his heart. He was going to marry the love of his life today, and the Sheriff’s Secret Police was going to make sure nothing interfered. He helped Dana cover the mirror again.

“Thank you for helping me get ready, Mayor Cardinal.” He took a deep breath and then gave a small squeak, making his whole face flush bright red. He was going to have to try to hold back his sounds of giddiness. He cleared his throat. “I’m going to head over to the altar now. I don’t want to be late to my own wedding!”

Dana smiled up at him. “I’ll go make sure Carlos is ready to go.” She left the room and let Cecil walk out to the wedding.

He and Carlos decided on an outdoor wedding, seeing as the weather was supposed to be great all day long. The decorations were beautiful, with purples, blacks, and splashes of yellow on everything. The color scheme was all Carlos’ idea, but Cecil liked it. Carlos always related the color purple to Cecil, and Cecil thought the yellow was a good representation of the happiness Carlos brought into his life even before they started dating.

“Hey, Cecil!” he heard Steve’s voice come from behind him. “The wedding’s going to start in five minutes. Hiram won't be happy if you’re late to the altar. You’re supposed to be there before Carlos.”

He wasn’t even going to try keeping his charade of hating Steve. His emotions were through the roof, and he was just glad to have everyone in attendance. “Yes, I know. I’m getting there. Is Janice almost ready?”

“Of course. Since Carlos doesn’t have any family to walk him down the aisle to you, Janice will go with him instead. And I think the City Council decided to have Tamika be the ring bearer.”

“Oh, how wonderful! I know ring bearers are usually young boys, but I think Tamika will do an excellent job.” He walked over to the altar and tapped his foot anxiously as he waited for everyone to get settled. He knew time travel was frowned upon, but he really wanted to just skip forward to the marriage vows. He fidgeted with his tie again.

“Cecil, hey, stop that,” Hiram’s gold head said. Hiram had been chosen to be the pastor. “We need this wedding to go without a hitch, and things’ll go wrong if you keep fidgeting like that.”

“Yes, you’re right.” He looked around. Everyone was seated in their chairs, and Old Woman Josie had started playing an old piano they managed to drag out of her house. He looked down at his watch--the same watch Carlos gave him for their one-month anniversary. He had never taken it off since then. Carlos would be walking down the aisle any moment. Cecil made sure not to fidget with his suit anymore, but he couldn’t stop his heart from racing. He was sure everyone in the audience could hear it beating like a thunderstorm.

He saw Janice and Tamika first. Janice had a basket of cactus flower petals in her lap and Tamika was helping to push her wheelchair up to the altar with her left hand. In her right hand, she held a pillow with two rings nestled into it.

And then there was Carlos. _Oh, perfect Carlos. Imperfectly perfect and beautiful Carlos._ He was dressed in a sharp, dark purple tuxedo under a deep black formal lab coat. His tie was yellow and his usually unruly hair was gelled to keep it under control. Cecil had to resist every urge to run over and wrap his arms around him.

When Carlos got up to the altar, he whispered, “You look fantastic, Ceec.”

Cecil smiled and his tattoos raced around his neck and arms. “You look quite dashing, yourself.” He could hardly hear when Hiram started talking. In fact he really didn’t care much for the long, boring speech the five-headed dragon would read before he even got to the vows. All he cared about was Carlos. The love of his life, the man who, after coming inches away from death, only cared about seeing Cecil, the man who risked his life so they might be able to have a condo together, the man who had been trapped in a mysterious desert for almost a year before finally coming home and proposing. After so much had happened, they were finally getting married.

Time was already weird enough in Night Vale, but it seemed to stop completely whenever they were together. Everything around them was a blur, and Hiram’s voice was nothing more than a faint mumble, like rolling thunder over a distant plain. Who knew how many minutes actually passed before Cecil found himself and Carlos both saying their “I Do’s” before exchanging wedding rings.

“Now go on and kiss, you two. You deserve it.” The dragon took a step back.

The kiss was nothing short of perfect. It had all the magic and giddiness of their first, but with so much more love and passion. They were _married_ now. Their first kiss of marriage was everything Cecil hoped it would be, and he was almost disappointed when it ended.

“My beautiful Carlos… Carlos _Palmer_.” Cecil’s lips were still lightly brushing up against the other’s when he spoke. “It really does have a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

“I love it.” He held out his hand to look at his new wedding ring. The gold looked so nice against his dark skin, and the diamonds in the band sparkled as if a thousand stars had been trapped within the gems. “I love this ring too.”

“Shows that we belong to each other now.” Cecil held out his own hand to look at his ring. The band was white gold and there were two sparkling diamonds and one amethyst set into the metal. “You’re mine and I’m yours.” He linked arms with his husband-- _oh_ that felt so nice to finally say!--and walked back down the aisle with him, followed closely by all the attendees of the wedding. “Are you all ready for a dance?” Cecil’s voice was giddy as he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. The town’s official language was dance, after all, so it would be hard for everyone to pass up a dance.

“You and Carlos get the first dance, Cecil,” Dana said as she walked up next to them. “Then it’s time for dinner before everyone has free reign to dance.”

“Oh… right.” To be fair, it had only been a week since Carlos proposed, and Cecil didn’t remember much from his sister and Steve’s wedding. He admitted that he probably should have looked more into wedding customs ahead of time. He kept walking with Carlos.

Mission Grove Park was where the dance and dinner would be held, and it looked absolutely gorgeous with the colored banners, dim lanterns, and fancy decorations. City Council did an excellent job of decorating.

“All right, everyone!” Dana shouted once everyone was at the park. “Everyone take a seat and we’ll get started! Sit wherever you’d like, but save those two seats,” she pointed to two large chairs at the end of an extra large dining table, “for the grooms!”

The moment the attendees were all seated, Cecil walked out onto the open ground arm in arm with Carlos. He wrapped his arms around his husband’s shoulders and he felt the other’s hand at his waist.

Carlos held up his free hand and a smile spread across his face. “And now,” his voice was soft and even, just loud enough for Cecil to hear him, “the weather.” He put his hand down to Cecil’s hip.

Music filled the air and Cecil’s heart fluttered. Carlos could be so cheesy and romantic, and he loved it. He buried his face into his husband’s neck and closed his eyes as the two started to dance. He heard nothing but the music and the scientist’s heartbeat and felt nothing but the warmth of Carlos’ body. It was a beautiful feeling. A beautiful feeling for a beautiful moment. He chose not to speak a word as they danced, but he would be sure to mention everything during his next show.

When the final notes of the song ended, Cecil’s eyes opened with a flutter and he looked up at Carlos. “Are you crying…?”

Carlos’ dark eyes were wet and glassy, and an ear to ear grin spread across his face. “We’re finally married. Of course I’m crying,” he croaked with a laugh. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.” He couldn’t stop the wave of tears filling his own grey eyes. “I’ll never be able to say that enough.” He laughed to hide the new choked sobbing. God dammit, why did Carlos have to start crying? Now he was going to be a sobbing mess, too.

Carlos took off Cecil’s glasses. “You don’t have to say it.” He kissed Cecil deeply, and Cecil took in the familiar smell and taste of his beautiful scientist. On a normal day, they wouldn’t have dared to kiss this deeply in front of others, but today was different. Today was _their_ day, and no one else’s.

When their lips finally parted, all who attended the wedding erupted in a wave of excited cheers, and they sat together at the head of the oversized dining table.

“Thank you, all of you,” Cecil’s voice cracked.

“Congratulations. Both of you,” Earl Harlan’s voice echoed when the cheering subsided. “You’ve always been a good friend to me, Cecil, and I’m glad to see you finally getting married. Now I don’t know Carlos very well, but it’s blindingly obvious that he has made you a million times happier than you’ve ever been.” He raised his glass of champagne. “Here’s to a lifetime of happiness for you both.” He took a drink.

“Thank you, Earl.” Cecil smiled at his childhood friend.

Steve spoke next. “You’re my best friend, Cecil, despite what others might think. Your sister loves you. Your niece adores and looks up to you. And Carlos, I can honestly say that, despite everything that has happened since you got here, you’re one of the best things to happen to this town. The Voice of Night Vale is happier, and a happy Voice makes for happy citizens. The li…” He was about to continue but stopped when Cecil shot him a glare that said _‘Don’t start talking about your stupid conspiracies, Steve.’_ “So… congratulations from me and the rest of the Carlsbergs.” He took a drink.

Everyone got a chance to speak, and Dana was last. “Cecil… Carlos… I know you both very well. I’ve spent a lot of time with both of you. Cecil, I was your intern and kept in contact with you when I was in the Dog Park. Carlos, I met you in the other world desert. I’ve seen both of you when you were apart, and I’ve seen you when you’re out on dates. In each case, you’re always so sweet to each other. You talk about each other even when you know the other isn’t there to hear. Cecil, you accepted that it’s okay that you don’t know everything about Carlos. Carlos, you’ve given up science experiments to spend more time with Cecil.” She held up her glass. “If that doesn’t make for one of the best relationships in Night Vale, then I don’t know what does. Congratulations.” She took a drink.

“Cecil, I hope you don’t mind if I say something, too.” Carlos stood and put a hand on Cecil’s shoulder. “When I came to Night Vale, I was intrigued. Intrigued, but also confused. Outside of Night Vale, I was an outcast. But when I got here, the first thing I heard when I turned on the radio was a man with the most soothing voice I had ever heard. And that man was talking about me, of all people. I was flattered to say the least, but I brushed it off at first.

“Then, as time went on, I started hearing my name more and more on the radio. I started falling for the Voice of Night Vale. But, let’s be honest here, I was pretty intimidated by how much the town respected him, so I tried to put those feelings aside. And then… a year after I got here, I was almost killed. My life flashed before my eyes, and the first thought that came into my head was _‘I need to see Cecil.’_ I had to tell Cecil how I felt, especially if I ever ran into anything that dangerous again. Next thing I knew, we were dating, and that was the best thing that has ever happened to me.” Cecil gave a small squeal and buried his face into his hands as his husband spoke.

“And then I got trapped in the desert, with an engagement ring in my pocket. I was _terrified._ I was terrified that I might never again be able to speak to my boyfriend. That I might never make it home. And after months of being trapped, I almost did lose hope. But Cecil gave me the willpower to get back home. The ring that I kept in my pocket made sure I stayed on track. Cecil…” He cupped his face in his hands and sat back down next to the radio host, “If not for you, I doubt I would have ever made it back home. I wouldn’t be here right now. So thank you. For everything you’ve ever done for me. For how much you’ve changed my life.” He pulled him in close and kissed him, getting another cheer from the crowd.

Cecil felt as if he were going to melt and like his heart was going to fly out of his chest. “That was beautiful, Carlos. I’ll never be able to top that. But I can at least say something.” He stood. “Citizens of Night Vale… my listeners. Most of you have known me since the day I started at the Radio Station. You know about as much about my life as I do. But there is one thing… one thing I will never quite be able to express fully on air. It doesn’t matter how much I gush over my Carlos, it doesn’t matter how excited I get when I talk about what we do, I’ll never be able to express how much I actually love him. How much he’s changed my life. He says I’ve changed his life, but I don’t think he knows how much he’s changed mine, too.” He sat back down. “Because of you, I’m finding it easier to express how I feel about things. Because of you, I’ve realized that _anyone_ in this town can be loved, even a silly radio host that hardly knows anything about himself. So thank you, too, my love.” He leaned in and kissed him before they both shared a glass of champagne.

“I love you,” they spoke in perfect unison.

The rest of the wedding went just as planned, without a single hitch, emergency announcement, or even a dead animal rained from the Glow Cloud. Cecil stayed by Carlos’ side the entire time, almost as if refusing to let the scientist go, and finally the end of the wedding came when the grooms went to cut into the cake that Earl had baked and decorated for them. The frosting was deep purple with silver decorations, and it covered a seemingly simple white cake. But, when cut deep enough, the cake oozed a red raspberry jam. Earl really outdid himself with the cake, and everyone went home satisfied and happy from the successful wedding.

“Are you ready to go home, Ceec?” Carlos asked while slow dancing with Cecil. Aside from a single member of the Sheriff's Secret Police, they were the only ones left.

“Well, now that everyone else has left, I am. I don’t have work tomorrow, so I hope you have the same plans for tonight that I do.” He closed his eyes and smiled.

“You know I do.”


	5. Their Wedding Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the night of their wedding, and they spend it without interruption.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just straight up porn again. No important plot points, just fanservice.
> 
> Also note: I HC both Cecil and Carlos as switches, and that's referenced a little bit here, even though Carlos has been the dominant one in the last few chapters

It was an impressive feat that they even made through the door of their home before Carlos shoved Cecil up against the nearest wall and started kissing him. Cecil kissed back, instantly turned on by his husband’s roughness. Carlos usually wasn’t that rough and eager. He tugged on Carlos’ hair and almost forgot how to breathe for several moments. He pulled his hands away from the other’s hair and started to fumble with the bright yellow tie as he bit gently on Carlos’ lips.

“Cecil…” Carlos muttered into Cecil’s mouth, “where’s your collar?” He pulled his lips away and looked into the other man’s eyes.

“Gonna get kinky tonight, hm?” Cecil teased, his mouth curled into a sly grin. He dropped the man’s tie to the floor. He knew what Carlos wanted, and he wanted it just as much. “You want to go bareback tonight, too, my Carlos?”

The look that Carlos gave him… that smirk could have made Cecil come in his pants right then and there. “I thought you’d never ask.” He picked up Cecil, bridal style, and carried him to their room. Cecil gave out a delighted gasp when he threw him onto the bed. Carlos had been so dominant since coming home, and Cecil couldn’t complain.

Cecil slipped back into his radio voice. “Where should we start, my Carlos?” He took off his glasses and set them next to Carlos’.

Carlos took out Cecil’s collar and a set of fuzzy handcuffs and put them on the night stand next to the bottle of lube. He straddled over Cecil’s hips and leaned down to kiss his neck. Cecil threw his head back, exposing more of his neck. “Let’s just start by getting these clothes off.” He unbuttoned Cecil’s coat and vest without taking his lips off his neck, and then untied his tie without fault. He had taken off Cecil’s tie after work with eyes closed so many times that Cecil could only assume it was second nature by now.

After a few moments, Cecil wore nothing but his pants, and he could feel Carlos’ clothed arousal rubbing up against his own. His tattoos buzzed and vibrated with excitement as he reached up to help Carlos get his clothes off. First came the lab coat… then the vest… and Cecil’s heart did a summersault when he took the other’s shirt off. Every single time, without fail, he always loved seeing Carlos’ bare chest, even the ragged scar near his heart from the attack at the bowling alley. He reached down and started unbuckling Carlos’ belt and unzipped his pants. He pushed his pants and boxers down around his knees. _God_ Carlos was hard as _hell_. “That feel better, my Carlos?”

“Mm, much better. Now let me help you.” He helped Cecil take his pants off and then kissed his chest. “Get your collar, pet.”

There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in Cecil’s actions. They had done this dozens of times, so putting his collar on was as easy as saying ‘good night’ to his listeners.

With a grin, he reached down between Carlos’ legs and started stroking him, eliciting a moan from the scientist. 

“Nng… _Cecil_.” 

Cecil wanted nothing more than to make his husband come right then and there. He kissed the man’s neck and increased the intensity of his strokes, but Carlos stopped him. His eyes said that he wanted Cecil to keep going, but they also said that he had other plans.

“Hold on, Ceec.” He shook his head with a smirk and reached over to the nightstand. 

“Carlos, what are…” His voice stopped when he felt Carlos pulling his arms behind his bed and handcuffing him to the bed. A grin spread across his face. They didn’t use those fuzzy cuffs nearly enough.

“Say something in your radio voice, Ceec.” He hooked a finger through one of the collar’s rings and tugged on it gently as he sucked and bit purple bruises to Cecil’s neck and shoulders, making the radio host whimper in pleasure.

Cecil cleared his voice and spoke as smoothly as he could with his perfect husband biting at his skin. “Of course, my Carlos.” He closed his eyes. “Never could I ever have imagined that my wedding night would end in fantastic sex, too.” He smiled as he felt Carlos’ entire body twitch when he deepened his voice. He cracked one eyelid open. “You do love my voice, don’t you?”

Carlos bit his lip and nodded as he rubbed lube on his and Cecil’s cocks. “Your voice is what got me by in the desert, you know.” He got off Cecil and lifted the host’s legs so they were resting on his shoulders.

“Mm, I know.” He felt so vulnerable with his hands behind his head and his legs elevated, and he loved it. He was so used to being in control… both in bed on several occasions, and being the Voice of Night Vale. So, naturally, having Carlos in control at the moment was a nice change.

“Think you can keep up that voice while I’m inside you?” Oh that caramel bedroom voice.

“I doubt it, but I can try.” He was sure he wouldn’t last much longer before he started moaning Carlos’ name. “Anything for my Carlos.”

“And make sure you tell me if I need to slow down.” Cecil admired the fact that Carlos always remembered to make sure he was okay whenever Cecil was bound or tied. After nodding, Cecil felt his husband shift his body just slightly and push slowly inside of him.

Cecil clenched his fists around the bedframe as Carlos got rougher with him. “Oh _god_ , Carlos.” His radio voice faltered, but didn’t break. He felt Carlos twitch with pleasure at his words. “Don’t stop.” He let his body move with the scientist’s. Let his muscles relax and let his mind forget about everything but the beautiful man having sex with him. He let out a low moan, and Carlos responded in kind.

He wanted to keep talking to Carlos as if he were on air, but words escaped him. All that came out of his mouth were whimpers and moans. Having his hands cuffed to the bed seemed to heighten his senses, and he could feel every inch of his husband as their hips moved together. Not to mention that Carlos had reached down between them and started stroking Cecil.

…Could the man have been any more _perfect?_

A loud moan escaped Carlos’ lips as he gave one last thrust, and Cecil could feel the warmth inside of him. “Cecil…” Carlos’ legs were trembling as much as his were and his chest heaved. He moved his body until his mouth hovered over the tip of Cecil’s member. “Now it’s time to help you finish.” 

Cecil gasped with a smile when he felt the man’s tongue working up and down the length of his shaft. He tugged on the handcuffs and muttered Carlos’ name several times--and broke his radio voice--as the scientist put most of his cock into his mouth. “Carloooos!” He arched his back and bucked his hips to the rhythm of the bobbing of Carlos’ head. He desperately wanted to run his hands through his husband’s beautiful hair.

All at once, with another bob of Carlos’ head, Cecil felt his whole body tense as the pleasure rushed from his head to his toes and he came with a few shouts and moans. Carlos swallowed and crawled back up to give Cecil a dozen soft, gentle kisses on his face and lips while releasing the cuffs.

“I hope you had as much fun with that as I did.” He kissed his cheek and massaged his wrists after taking the collar off his neck.

Cecil’s eyelids grew heavy and he lifted one corner of his mouth into a slight smile. “Of course I did, my Carlos.” He wrapped his arms around him and ran his hands up and down his back. “I still can’t believe we’re married now.” He and Carlos rolled onto their sides. “Couldn’t have asked for a better husband.” He nuzzled his face into Carlos’ shoulder.

Carlos pulled the blanket over top of them. “We have our whole lives ahead of us. And we get to live them together.” Cecil felt the man’s breathing grow more labored. “As long as nothing happens again…” he mumbled into the top of Cecil’s head.

“Carlos.” Cecil pushed away from him and looked him straight in the face. “Don’t say that. The citizens of Night Vale won’t let you get trapped again. _I_ won’t let you get trapped again.”

“But, Cecil…” he started, but stopped when Cecil buried his face into his chest.

“Not now, Carlos. It’s our wedding night. Whatever you have to say, you can tell me in the morning.” He yawned.

He felt Carlos massaging his back. “This is kind of important, though.”

“Carlos… Strex could be returning, and I still wouldn’t want to hear about it until tomorrow. You were gone for way too long. I want a few perfect days with you without interruption.” He heard Carlos exhale loudly, but say nothing more. Whatever news he had would have to wait. “Good night, my Carlos. I love you.”

It took many long moments for Carlos to reply, but just as Cecil was drifting off to sleep, he heard, “Good night, Ceec. I love you, too.”


	6. A New Development

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos gives Cecil new information about what he found in the desert.

The smell of bacon and eggs spread throughout the house and filled Cecil’s nose. With a yawn, he rolled over in bed and got his glasses from the nightstand. He didn’t even bother to fix his hair as he put on a pair of boxer shorts and a loose tee shirt and walked down into the kitchen. His legs were still trembling slightly from the night before.

“Good morning, Cecil.” Carlos wore an apron and boxer shorts, and his hair was a beautiful mess, standing up in every possible direction. “Sleep well?”

Cecil walked up behind Carlos and wrapped his arms around him. A faint ‘mmhm’ escaped his lips as he smiled. He rested his head on Carlos’ shoulder.

“Me too.” He turned his head and gave Cecil a gentle kiss. “Ready for breakfast?”

He planted a few kisses on the scientist’s jawline before getting two plates from the pantry. “You know I always love it when you cook.” His voice was still hoarse this early in the morning. “Do you want me to make any coffee?”

Carlos smiled. “Already done. Your mug’s on the table. Lots of cream, and just a little sugar. Just the way you like it.” He put the eggs and a few slices of bacon on Cecil’s plate and took his own plate to the table. He sat down next to Cecil.

“You know…” Cecil took a bite of his breakfast, “…you’ve been home for almost two weeks, but I still can’t get over how much I missed your cooking.”

“It’s nice to actually cook with normal food. The giant masked army… they had some _interesting_ food, to put it in non-scientific terms. I still don’t know how to cook a rabbit that’s half the size of me.” He laughed and ate the food on his own plate.

They ate and drank coffee in silence for many long moments. Cecil knew he couldn’t avoid the question for very long. Carlos tried to say something the previous night, but Cecil didn’t want to hear it. It must have been important, though, to have Carlos bring it up right after sex… Carlos told him every detail about the desert, so what could have happened?

His husband seemed to notice the hitch in his breathing and the sharp movements of his tattoos. “Ceec, are you okay? I didn’t burn the food, did I?”

“Oh, no, Carlos, the food was fantastic as always.” He tapped his fingers on the table. “It’s just… last night. You wanted to tell me something. Is this something I need to know? Is this something Night Vale needs to know?”

Carlos tapped his fork against his plate. “Yes. But… do you really want to know? Because I know the knowledge terrified me. And I’m a scientist. Nothing can really scare a scientist.”

Cecil gripped Carlos’ hand. “As long as you don’t leave again, you can tell me anything, no matter how terrifying it might be.”

“It’s…” Carlos bit his lip. “It’s Kevin.”

Cecil clenched his hand hard enough to make Carlos’ knuckles pop, and his other hand dropped the half-empty coffee mug to the ground. “What did that _monster_ do to you?” he hissed through gritted teeth.

If Carlos was in pain from Cecil’s strong grip, he didn’t show it. “He found me in the desert. He was trapped there, too. For some reason, the old oak doors didn’t think he belonged in Desert Bluffs or Night Vale, just like me, so they closed on him, too. I ran into him right before I opened the door back into Night Vale a month ago.”

“Did he hurt you?” Concern dripped from his voice.

“He tried. Doug and Alisha protected me. But he was rambling on about a ‘Smiling God’. I thought the desert would have straightened him out from Strex influence, but I guess even scientists aren’t always right. I ran through the door before he could touch me.” He looked Cecil directly in the eyes. “Ceec, he could have found a way to follow me. What if he finds his way into Night Vale instead of Desert Bluffs?”

He tried to speak, but words escaped him. Kevin, back in Night Vale? And when he’s still obsessing over that Smiling God? Kevin did _not_ belong in Night Vale, and Cecil had no intention to let him back into the radio station. To this day he was still cleaning bloodstains.

“Cecil. Say something.”

Minutes had ticked by without Cecil’s knowledge. “…why would the doors not think he belonged in Desert Bluffs? He’s _from_ Desert Bluffs, isn’t he?”

Carlos shrugged. “I don’t know. But obviously there’s more to him than we thought.” He shook his head. “He looks so much like you.”

“Except for those _eyes_ ,” Cecil hissed. Those black, empty eyes still haunted him on occasion. Yes, the man was almost an exact physical copy of him, but what was their connection? At first Cecil thought Kevin may have been his double, but he came to disprove that hypothesis over time. A double was an _exact_ copy, not an _almost_ -copy. Right? Everyone else thought they were doubles though, so perhaps he was wrong. He stood and washed his plate. “Let’s hope he didn’t follow you here. I already lost you for a year because of him. I’m not going to lose you again.” There was anger in his voice and his fingers trembled.

“Babe.” Carlos got up and wrapped his arms around the radio host. “I promise, even if Kevin or Strex--the one not owned by the angels--do come back to Night Vale, I’ll make sure I don’t disappear again.” He kissed his forehead. “Although I think I should worry more about you if he comes back. He probably has some vendetta against you and Steve.”

“Well, of course. He tried to suggest that there is something wrong with Janice. We responded accordingly, and obviously Kevin didn’t like that.” Cecil shrugged and leaned against the kitchen counter, facing Carlos, and tried as he might to seem nonchalant about the situation.

“Steve threw him into the desert. So, naturally, I think he’s going to be very upset if he gets back here. Knowing him, he’ll probably want revenge and say that we need to obey his Smiling God. You need something to do if he comes back.”

Cecil’s voice started to tremble. “But remember, Desert Bluffs’ Strex Corp has no power here. Marcus Vansten” …who technically did not exist anymore since he had been called upon by angels and sprouted golden wings, “bought them out here in Night Vale, so they can’t come back. What can Kevin do without Strex?”

Carlos let out a long sigh and fell silent. Cecil was mortified of Kevin, and he knew that Carlos knew that.

…and to be honest, Cecil had no idea what he would do if Kevin reappeared in Night Vale.

“I’ll do what I never did back on Sandstorm day,” the radio host finally said. The memory of the day filled his mind and he couldn’t stop his fingers from trembling.

“Cecil.” He cupped Cecil’s face with one hand and Cecil nuzzled into his palm. “I know you better than that. You won’t resort to violence.”

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. “But if he tries to hurt you…” He hugged Carlos close. “I swear to whatever almighty entity is out there that I won’t hesitate to throw him back in the desert.” He was taken aback by the aggressiveness in his own voice.

But it was a reasonable aggressiveness, right? If Kevin came into the situation, any aggressiveness would be more than reasonable.

“Let’s change the subject, okay?” Carlos kissed his cheek. “We should focus on other things.” He looked around the kitchen. “Like cleaning the house! I promised you I’d organize all my stuff after the wedding, didn’t I?”

The corners of Cecil’s mouth lifted into a smile. “You did.” He ran a hand through Carlos’ messy hair. “Let’s go shower first, though.”

“Alright.” Carlos washed his dishes. “We should take one together to speed things up a bit. It might take a while to get everything organized.”

He grinned. “Carlos, you know showering together won’t speed things up _at all_.”

And it didn’t.


	7. Your Daily Horoscope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It would normally be just another day in the studio. But Cecil notices something especially odd on his way to work.

A week had passed since the wedding, and life was returning to normal again. Well, as normal as Night Vale standards could get, at least.

Carlos was back in his lab, furiously studying some of the rocks he had brought home from the desert. “They’re just so _weird!_ ” he told Cecil on several occasions. “Like no rocks I’ve ever seen before!” And then he went on to say something about how he ‘isn’t a geologist’, but he still wanted to study every bit of the desert geology.

Admittedly, Cecil didn’t _entirely_ listen to everything Carlos said. Instead he just adored seeing his imperfect scientist get so excited about his experiments. And, this time, he wasn’t just listening to his voice. Carlos was home, and Cecil could watch every excited wave of his hands as he explained what the rocks were made out of. And, of course, the occasional glint of Carlos’ wedding ring was a beautiful sight.

“You need to stop being so damn near perfect when you’re sciencing away,” Cecil grinned as he got ready to go to work.

“I’ll only stop once you stop being perfect on the radio,” Carlos teased. He walked over and wrapped his arms around Cecil’s shoulders. “Have anything exciting to cover today?”

“Oh, nothing really.” He kissed the other man’s cheek. “Just some updates on the Faceless Old Woman and Hiram McDaniels. We all know they’re planning on trying to overthrow Mayor Cardinal.” He shivered as he felt bony fingers run up and down his arm and heard a whisper in his ear.

“I wouldn’t _dream_ of doing _anything_ like that, Cecil.” The Faceless Old Woman filled his mind with feigned offense. “We just think the election was _so_ unfair.”

“You can’t argue with Radon Canyon,” Cecil shrugged and turned back to Carlos. Kissing along his jawline, he muttered, “You know, Earl keeps asking if we’re planning on going on a honeymoon vacation any time soon. I’d have to request time off, though, and you know how Management is with time off.”

Carlos raised an eyebrow. “Does he have plans or something?”

“Nah,” he smiled. “He’s just very close to a certain billionaire that could hook us up with some nice reservations.”

The scientist pressed his forehead up against his husband’s. “We’ll have to keep that in mind, then. For right now, though, it’s been nice to be home. Night Vale isn’t exactly welcoming,” --Cecil had to refrain from cutting him off-- “but it’s still home. It’s been nice to stay in one place. I do want to take you on a nice trip somewhere one day soon, though.”

“Maybe we could even find a way to get into the desert. I want to see all the science you were so interested in! As long as we know there’s a way out, of course,” he added quickly.

“Of course,” he agreed. “Now, you should probably go before you’re late to work.” He pulled his face into a deep kiss.

Cecil finally pulled away. “I’ll be home tonight, my Carlos.”

“And I’ll be listening to your show.”

“Like always,” he said with a smile. “I love you.” He walked towards the door.

“Love you, too, Ceec. Stay safe at the station.”

“You stay safe, too.” He grabbed his phone and his car keys and stepped out the door.

Little happened on the way to the radio station. In fact, nothing happened at all. No one was out on the sidewalks, and no one else was out driving. No dogs, no Secret Police officers, he couldn’t even see the Glow Cloud--all hail--when he looked around.

“What is going on…” he asked out loud as he parked at the station. As far as he knew, it wasn’t ‘Avoid Cecil Palmer Day’--was that a thing?--and the air outside certainly wasn’t poisonous. He checked the calendar on his phone. No, not Street Cleaning Day, either.

Okay, whatever. He’d find out what was going on eventually. It was one of his duties as the Voice, after all. He stepped out of his car and walked into the station.

“Hello, Mr. Palmer!” an intern--Brendon? Yes, his name was Brendon--waved with excitement.

Cecil waved back with a little less enthusiasm. So that answered his next question. Everyone in the station seemed A-okay. “Intern Brendon?”

“Yes, Mr. Palmer?”

“Do you know what’s going on outside?”

The young man shook his head. “No, sir. We haven’t gotten any reports about anything, either. I think Station Management just wants you to go on with your show like usual.”

He opened the door to the break room and gave a sigh of relief when there was already a fresh pot of coffee brewing. He didn’t want to go through the whole hour long ordeal. “Alright. Keep me updated, will you? Things are all so _weird_ outside…” He poured almost half the pot into his oversized mug.

“Of course! You’ll be the first to know!”

“Thank you.” He took his coffee and walked into his booth where the day’s broadcast notes were sitting on his soundboard. It didn’t take long for him to get settled and flip the  
“On Air” sign on before speaking gently into his microphone.

 _“Fate is a beautiful, dangerous thing. Previously meaningless little wonders can change the fate of even the largest evils. Welcome to Night Vale.”_ He took a sip of his coffee.

_“Hello, listeners! Today I am here to bring you updates on something we have all been following very closely: the future of our lovely Mayor Cardinal. As we all know, Dana was not even a candidate in the mayoral campaign, so it came as a shock to all of us when she was elected as mayor. After the initial shock, her role was unchallenged for several months. Recently, however, Hiram McDaniels and the Faceless Old Woman have been seen conspiring against the mayor._

_“Listeners, the Faceless Old Woman just tried to knock my coffee cup over in objection to my previous statement. But come on, we all know what’s going on. We’re a lot of things, but we’re not stupid, are we, Night Vale?”_ He held his coffee in a tighter grip and glared in the direction he hoped was where the Faceless Old Woman was. He had no desire to face Station Management if she spilled his coffee all over the soundboard. 

_“Anyways, I think they’re forgetting that Mayor Cardinal cannot be replaced until she steps down and another election is held. You cannot simply_ overthrow _a mayor!”_ he laughed before continuing. _“More on this story as we get more to report.”_

He fell silent for a moment, wondering if he should bring up the current state of the town. Was anyone--aside from Carlos, of course--even listening to his show today? He figured he would have time to at least mention _something_ about the town’s apparent emptiness. _“Listeners, I hope you don’t mind me deriving from my planned broadcast today, but I noticed something strange on my way to the station. Or, rather, I didn’t notice. There was not a single being outside. Everyone is here in the studio like usual, and Carlos was safe at home when I left. But outside? Not a soul! If you have any information at all about what’s going on, please contact the radio station immediately._

_“Alright, now that that’s out of the way, let’s have a look at today’s horoscopes.”_ He adjusted his headset. _“Aries: Time always slows down with you, Aries. No, literally, time_ stops _around you. Time is already messed up enough, so you should really stop playing with it, okay? It’s hard to get anything done when you’re frozen in time._

_“Taurus: You are a wonderful cook, Taurus. Have you thought about making Void cupcakes today? Perhaps you should. Your significant other has been craving something from that_ How to Cook with the Void _recipe book. Nothing brings couples together like a good old existential crisis, am I right?_

_“Gemini: Have you ever thought about having an odd favorite number? No one understands your obsession with twos, Gemini. You already have two eyes, two ears, two hands, two tongues, and a two-headed cat. Do you_ really _need any more twos in your life? Oh, you do? Well, I apologize. I didn’t realize odd numbers gave you anxiety. Please disregard this horoscope, Gemini._

_“Cancer: Hawaii probably isn’t the best place for a vacation. You should think of somewhere with fewer volcanoes._

_“Leo: Have you ever considered going into Art School? You really should. I’m looking at your artwork right now, and it is incredible. Your use of blood in your pieces is_ very _creative. Where did you get all that blood, Leo? There is_ so _much blood on that painting. Also, we thought you should know that your neighbor was found dead this morning._

_“Virgo: No, Virgo, that’s not how you-- Is that a chainsaw? I mean… Keep doing what you’re doing, Virgo! You’re doing great with everything!_

_“Libra: Remember that spider you killed last week? Well, she had a family. And many friends. Hundreds of friends. Thousands of friends. They want their revenge, Libra. They know how to get into your house. You cannot hide from them. They are coming. Leave town. Change your identity. Never come back, Libra._

_“Scorpio: You vile, vile human being. Are you even human? Probably not. You’re probably part Demon or something. No wonder no one trusts you, Scorpio. You really should stop meddling in matters that aren’t even your business. I don’t think you even deserve to have your horoscope finished._

_“Sagittarius: You have the strength of a dragon. Have you ever considered joining the football team? We could really use someone that could lift the entire opposing team with one arm. It hasn’t been banned from the sport yet, so you should really take your chance now before it is!_

_“Capricorn: Are you in cahoots with Leo, Capricorn? Those bloody murals_ are _beautiful, but we’re all wondering where you got all that blood. Also, your neighbor was found dead as well. We’re convinced it is just a coincidence._

_“Aquarius: It’s time for a vacation, Aquarius. You and your partner should go somewhere nice, like the beach, or that desert your husband has cool stuff to show you in. Maybe you should talk about it the next time you have the chance._

_“Pisces: You’re going to have the best week of your life. Spend it wisely, Pisces! You’ll never get a ‘best week’ ever again!”_ He sat back in his chair and cracked his knuckles away from his mic. 

After drinking most of his coffee in a few gulps, he continued. _“Back to our story on Hiram McDaniels and the Faceless Old Woman. Last we heard from a Sheriff’s Secret Police Officer, they--or Hiram, since no one can_ actually _see the Faceless Old Woman--were at their usual spot at the Moonlight All-Nite Diner. Hiram’s green head was heard muttering something about ‘fires’ and ‘town hall’, while his blue head was spouting off numbers and probabilities. ‘Something about survival rates’, the officer told me--”_ He was cut short by his studio door slamming open. 

“Brendon, you know you’re supposed to knock on the door!” He turned his chair around and saw, not Intern Brendon, but Carlos, carrying a heavy backpack. Only he was covered in blood. Without even telling his listeners, he turned the broadcast to the Weather and ran over to his husband. 

“Carlos! Carlos, what happened?” He inspected the scientist closely, looking for injuries. 

“We need to get out of here. Now,” Carlos hissed through gritted teeth. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we're starting to get some real plot here!
> 
> Also, I'm pretty much Homestuck trash, as you could probably tell by a few of those horoscopes [that I had far too much fun writing, just so you know]


End file.
